It is not uncommon that a person possesses a legacy hardcopy that is deemed satisfactory or even ideal, and also possesses the original electronic file comprising the digital image data on which the legacy hardcopy is based, and now desires to print one or more hardcopies that match the legacy hardcopy. A problem arises when the legacy hardcopy is not merely a print-out of the raw digital image data of the electronic file but is, instead, a print of an enhanced or altered version of the digital image data of the electronic file. For example, the legacy hardcopy can be a printed version of the original digital image data that was enhanced by a technician to make the ocean more blue, to make a sunset more orange, to make a headline font more red, etc.
One approach to the problem is to scan the legacy hardcopy to derive scanner image data from which the new hardcopies can be printed, essentially copying the hardcopy data. One drawback of this method is that the legacy hardcopy might include artifacts such as fold-lines, coffee stains or other physical marks that must be excluded from any newly generated hardcopy. Another drawback associated with the use of a scanner is that the original image data of the electronic file is, by definition, a perfect match to the legacy hardcopy, except for the above-noted image enhancement, while data derived from scanning the legacy hardcopy will include noise that will degrade the quality of any subsequent prints.
Accordingly, a need has been identified for a system that allows new hardcopies to be printed from the original image data, wherein the new hardcopies are perceived to match the legacy hardcopy.